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Risas serves 500 patients with free dental work on Labor Day

This is the fifth year staff donated their time

Dentist Chris Morris prepares to perform an extraction at the Risas Dental and Braces Labor of Love event in Wheat Ridge.

Shanna Fortier

Orthodontist Jamon Jensen gives a consult for braces at the Risas Dental and Braces Labor of Love event at the Wheat Ridge branch.

That's when he found out he needed to have the tooth extracted. But he couldn't afford it, so he went home.

A week later he found himself in the dental chair at Risas Dental and Braces in Wheat Ridge. Spitale, a Lakewood resident, was one of 100 patients seen Sept. 3 during the companies Labor of Love event which offered free dental cleanings, filling and extractions to community members.

“I'm supper appreciative of these guys,” he said Spitale, adding that he would not be able to get the extraction for a while if the Labor of Love was not happening.

This was the fifth year doctors and staff from Risas Dental and Braces donated their time at its annual Labor of Love event. The dental group treated nearly 500 patients across its four participating locations, blanketing the areas from South Denver to Wheat Ridge and at two locations in North and South Aurora.

Jamon Jensen, orthodontist at Risas Wheat Ridge and Aurora South, said the majority of patients seen during the Labor of Love event — held annually on Labor Day — say dental work is too expensive.

The event tried to break down those financial barriers for the community.

“With nearly 60-percent of Americans concerned about the cost of going to the dentist, we want to dispel the myth that oral care isn't affordable,” said Risas Managing Director Jeff Adams. “Our goal has always been — and will continue to be as we expand in Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, and Las Vegas — to make oral care accessible and affordable for all, regardless of their insurance status or financial situation.”

For the doctors, it also feels good to give back to the community.

“The team sees how good it feels to give back and do things for people who can't afford it or who have neglected it,” Jensen said. “It's really rewarding in that sense and it's a great way to say thanks to the community.”

It came down to the wire.
Jeffco Schools Superintendent Dr. Jason Glass called it a “Hail Mary.”
On Election Night, the measure was down more than 8,000 votes, but as more votes were counted in the days that followed Election Day, the gap between those wanting to fund the $567 million bond for Jefferson County Public Schools and those not, narrowed.